Among Tama's first "Original" instruments, the octobans have been played by progressive drummers from Simon Phillips to Stewart Copeland to Mike Portnoy. The length of the shells determines pitch range, and they can be tuned melodically. 6" diameter shells. Includes HW 119 stand. Specify high-pitched or low-pitched set.

I purchased my current Tama Superstar 10pc kit in 1980 and ive always wanted a set of Octobans to add to the kit for as long as i can remember. 34yrs later i finally...Read complete review

I purchased my current Tama Superstar 10pc kit in 1980 and ive always wanted a set of Octobans to add to the kit for as long as i can remember. 34yrs later i finally purchased a set of 4 high pitch Octobans and havn't been able to get the smile off of my face ever since....You can tune them up to sound a lot like Timpani style drums or you can tune them down (like I have) and get an awsome loud,fat penetrating sound that i absolutely love. I cant wait for Musician's Friend to get a used set of Low Pitch Octobans in stock so i can complete the set and tune these up a bit higher.....Its been a long wait but i absolutely love the drums and find myself banging on them more than the rest of my kit..(currently got 17 drums and 11cymbals to play with). If you are the type of drummer that wants to add extra voices to what you play then these are great. No you cant have these ones they are mine..Go get your own!So far i have found that the mounting system for the Octobans is limiting. I was hoping to put them on a rack mount but am not aware of a bracket that will fit the Octobans to attach to a rack to do this. Otherwise the supplied stand and mounting bracket works great as a stand alone setOverall quallity and appearance is excellent, but i did have problems with the tension screws coming loose for the first couple of days until the heads settled in and now they appear to be okay. Some of this problem may be caused by my liking of a low sounding drum and probably could be tightened up a bit more. I dont have experience with any other competitors brand to realy comment on the compared value but I sure do like the Tama Octobans that I have.

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Skip these, buy the Peace copies

I was memerized by the sound of these in one Simon Phillips' polyrythm drum solos. Then I looked at the price -- GEESH! I found out that Peace drums makes Octobans, too. ...Read complete review

I was memerized by the sound of these in one Simon Phillips' polyrythm drum solos. Then I looked at the price -- GEESH! I found out that Peace drums makes Octobans, too. After playing them side by side, I liked the sound of the Peace better -- maybe because they are aluminum shells instead of the fiberglass shells of the Tamas. And the Peace octobans were literally HALF the price of the Tamas. These are really cool, but the price can't be justified unless budget is no object.

I purchased my current Tama Superstar 10pc kit in 1980 and ive always wanted a set of Octobans to add to the kit for as long as i can remember. 34yrs later i finally purchased a set of 4 high pitch Octobans and havn't been able to get the smile off of my face ever since....You can tune them up to sound a lot like Timpani style drums or you can tune them down (like I have) and get an awsome loud,fat penetrating sound that i absolutely love. I cant wait for Musician's Friend to get a used set of Low Pitch Octobans in stock so i can complete the set and tune these up a bit higher.....Its been a long wait but i absolutely love the drums and find myself banging on them more than the rest of my kit..(currently got 17 drums and 11cymbals to play with). If you are the type of drummer that wants to add extra voices to what you play then these are great. No you cant have these ones they are mine..Go get your own!So far i have found that the mounting system for the Octobans is limiting. I was hoping to put them on a rack mount but am not aware of a bracket that will fit the Octobans to attach to a rack to do this. Otherwise the supplied stand and mounting bracket works great as a stand alone setOverall quallity and appearance is excellent, but i did have problems with the tension screws coming loose for the first couple of days until the heads settled in and now they appear to be okay. Some of this problem may be caused by my liking of a low sounding drum and probably could be tightened up a bit more. I dont have experience with any other competitors brand to realy comment on the compared value but I sure do like the Tama Octobans that I have.

I'll say right off the bat, that I'm an enormous Tama fan. I've owned or played just about every non-custom brand on the market, and Tama is WAY up there in overall value. The quality has always been top-notch and the price comparable to MUCH lower quality drums. Unfortunately these octobans are not quite what I would expect from Tama. The sound is cool, and the hardware is beefy, but EXTREMELY limited in adjustment and plain-Jane looks. For the price they're asking, just not worth it in my mind. For a LOT less money, you can pick up RCI Acrylic octobans for a lot less, and you can chose from a zillion different colors and patterns. Plus they generally come with RIMS mounts and L-arms for better resonance and adjustability. The acrylic sound is (arguably) more rich and punchy than the "plastic" or fiberglass Tama uses here. If any of you have seen the clear acrylic Mike Portnoy kit Tama made for DT's previous tour, those are ALL RCI shells, not made by Tama.

I just got a set of 2 high pitched Tama Octobans because I wanted a high end attack in my kit. They fit perfectly in size and sound! I didn't see any need for 4 or 8 drums, so I just got the two and the price was very resonable for a high quality instrument that can handle anything you throw at them.

These are really nice drums. I liked Stewart Copeland and loved the sound of those long cannons but I didn't have the cash back then to get the long ones. These are shorter, I own the full set of eight. If you buy a set, you'll have to get used to the head diameter and that will take about a month or more, depending on your skill level. They are VERY expensive, yes, but they are the only answer to a true Octabon sound. The knockoffs out there just don't have the tone and attack that Tama has managed to harness into these beautys. They will make your kit look extremely wicked too :) I think you'll be happy with them. I sure am :)

I was memerized by the sound of these in one Simon Phillips' polyrythm drum solos. Then I looked at the price -- GEESH! I found out that Peace drums makes Octobans, too. After playing them side by side, I liked the sound of the Peace better -- maybe because they are aluminum shells instead of the fiberglass shells of the Tamas. And the Peace octobans were literally HALF the price of the Tamas. These are really cool, but the price can't be justified unless budget is no object.

I have heard of them and I think they are so expensive because tama is the only brand that makes them so you have no choice but to buy theirs. I hope pearl or someone makes their own version so the price will go down. I am a huge fan of Toto and have seen Simon Phillips play with them. I dont think there a huge need though.

No doubt these are expensive drums. No doubt they have limited musical use. No doubt that once you break down and crack open your wallet that you will be giddy with joy everytime you play them. I thought they'd just sit in my basement but once I got them I added all 8 to my kit. They are just so fun and there are just those spots where you have to have them. It'd be nice if tama provided a way to mount them in a linear fashion rather than stacked.

I've owned these drums for about a year now an I can say that I have hardly used them at all. I guess it's just another flashy piece of equipment that drummers can't live without. The drums sound great with the right heads on them and they make for a interesting sound palate. The problem I have with them is they are too expensive. The current artists using this product also have an L arm mounting system which these do not come with. The 4 in 1 stand is bulky and is not highly adjustable. The drums also take up a considerable amount of space especially if you have both sets on your kit. I would go with the Pearl Quarter toms if I could do it over again. They have a better mounting system , they are cheaper and it's basicly the same thing just not 8 of them.